In season two of Jack Wagner’s second tour of duty as head coach of the Fenwick High School girls water polo varsity team, the Friars have shown great improvement over last year, when they won just three matches.
So what has been the difference? Simply put, an increase in the number of players.
“The fact that we have 14 people on the team instead of having eight, we get to run practices so they understand what we’re trying to do,” Wagner said following Fenwick’s 15-5 victory over visiting Elk Grove, April 16. “It’s really hard when you only have eight; when five of them show up to practice, you don’t have enough to run an offense. As they get more interested in [water polo] again, we’re getting better.”
The Friars (10-9) made short work of Elk Grove, leading 5-1 after the first quarter, 9-2 at halftime, and 13-3 after three quarters. Lauren Cheronis scored six goals for Fenwick, and Rose Gutierrez added four.
“We’re at a point in the season right now where we’re trying to figure out how good we’re going to be,” Wagner said. “We did some really good things [against Elk Grove], and we did some lazy things. But I’m happy with where we’re at.”
The game’s lopsided nature allowed Wagner to play everyone, which he feels will come in handy during the second half of the season.
“If the people who don’t play all the time don’t get any playing time,” he said, “how do they get better? They have to understand what the flow and everything else is, and they’ve gotten a lot of opportunities lately.”
Fenwick went 1-2 at the York Tournament, April 18. The Friars lost to New Trier and Jenison (MI) before defeating Sandburg 8-5 to end the day.
The Friars have three consecutive home matches this week versus Naperville Central, April 22; Glenbrook South, April 23; and Mother McAuley, April 24. All begin at 6 p.m.
Boys water polo
In the latest installment of the East Avenue Showdown, Oak Park and River Forest High School notched a 7-6 victory at Fenwick, April 15.
“The boys came in really excited. We had a good game plan,” said OPRF coach Mark Hallman. “It was really close, back and forth the whole time. It helped us that these two teams are really familiar with each other, so we can plan for them in a way that’s more difficult to do with other teams.
“We came in with a good defensive plan; the boys fought really hard and battled through adversity. We had two starters disqualified (for multiple ejections) in the fourth quarter and Grant Greendyke, Kai Chapinski, and Andy Langefeld all stepped up and filled those roles. They finished out the game hard, and we squeaked out the victory. It was a fun game.”
Max Koschmann and Cameron Kuenster each scored twice for OPRF (7-10), who also got goals from Benjamin Chalmers, Clark Greendyke, and Grant Greendyke. Kuenster and Chris Huesby each added two assists. Russell Frederick was strong in goal for the Huskies with 17 saves.
“Russell played the game of his life,” Hallman said. “He was our MVP of the game.”
Winning at Fenwick is never easy for visiting squads. The Friars (15-7) entered the contest ranked ninth in the IllPolo.com weekly poll. But Hallman thought the large number of OPRF fans in attendance provided a boost for his team, especially down the stretch as Fenwick made a late push.
“We had a huge fan presence. The parent turnout was great, our JV kids came out to support the varsity, and we had tons of kids come over from the school,” he said. “It was loud for both teams in there, and I think our kids fed off that energy, especially in the fourth. The fans gave us a push at the end.”
Hallman hopes OPRF continues to build up momentum down the stretch of the regular season. He likes how things are trending.
“We started out the season slow, and we’ve been building confidence. This last week, we feel, has been a turning point for us,” Hallman said. “Our defense is clicking a lot better, and they’re getting comfortable with each other. It’s been great to see, and we’re poised to finish the season strong.”
OPRF is at the Hinsdale Central Invite, April 25, while Fenwick hosts Brother Rice, April 22, then visits Lyons Township for a triangular, April 25.